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License Agreement on scientific materials use.
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Towards the institutionalization of illusionism: historical stages, specifics, and development vectors
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Alexey Arkadievich Senkeev
Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow
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Submitted:
August 10, 2026
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Abstract.
The research aims to identify the key stages and distinct features of the institutionalization of illusionism as an independent cultural field. The scientific novelty of the article lies both in the systematization of extensive historical material and in the research perspective itself. The paper proposes an original typology of institutional modes of illusionism, which specifies the nature of its conceptualization and actualization in theater, variety, circus, performative and conceptual arts, as well as in the entertainment industry. The author explicates the pivotal stages of the autonomization of illusionism from the second half of the 19th to the early 20th century: from the emergence of the first professional clubs and specialized literature to the formation of theoretical schools and international communities. Cultural contextualization clarifies the specific development of illusionism in the Soviet Union, where it was represented primarily as an entertainment art, while attempts to establish a theoretical framework faced a deficit of discipline-specific literature and institutions. The study substantiates the potential of research on illusionism as a sociocultural phenomenon that has been steadily integrating into academic discourse and artistic contexts over recent decades.
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Key words and phrases:
иллюзионный жанр
институционализация
автономия искусства
культурное поле
illusionism
institutionalization
autonomy of art
cultural field
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